Chapter 67 The Trap
"He's in position."
Marcus's voice crackled through the earpiece. Calm. Professional.
Cedric sat in the center of the warehouse. A single chair under a flickering light. Hands folded in his lap. Kevlar vest hidden under his shirt. Wire taped to his chest.
Surrounded by emptiness.
Except he wasn't alone.
In the shadows above, Marcus and six of his men. Positioned behind steel beams and ventilation ducts.
In the abandoned offices to the east, Marco and twelve of Gianni's soldiers. Armed and waiting.
Fifty guns total. All pointed at the space around Cedric.
All invisible.
"How long do we wait?" Cedric asked quietly.
"As long as it takes." Marcus's voice was steady in his ear. "Stay calm. Breathe."
Cedric breathed.
In. Out. In. Out.
His side ached where the stitches pulled. The Kevlar vest was too tight. Made breathing harder.
Minutes crawled past.
An hour.
Two.
Nothing.
Cedric shifted in the chair. "Maybe he's not coming."
"He's coming," Marco's voice joined the comms. "He can't resist. This is too perfect."
"Too perfect," Cedric muttered. "That's what worries me."
The lights went out.
Complete darkness.
Emergency lights kicked in after three seconds. Dim red. Barely enough to see.
"Here we go," Marcus said.
Cedric's heart slammed against his ribs. Against the Kevlar. Against the wire.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Heavy boots on concrete.
Getting closer.
"I count fifteen," Marcus whispered. "No, twenty. Fuck. He brought an army."
"Stay in position," Marco hissed. "We can handle twenty."
The footsteps multiplied.
Thirty. Forty. More.
"Something's wrong," Cedric said. "Too many."
The main doors exploded inward.
Metal shrieked. Hinges ripped from concrete.
Men poured through.
Not just men. Mercenaries. Tactical gear. Military-grade weapons.
At least twenty of them.
And in the center, walking like he owned the world:
Dante Falcone.
Taller than Gianni. Broader. With the same dark eyes but none of the calculation. Just violence. Just hunger.
"Did you really think I'd fall for such an obvious trap?" His voice echoed through the warehouse. Mocking. Amused.
He spread his arms wide.
"Motion sensors on every approach. Thermal imaging to count your hidden men. Jammers to block your communications." He grinned. "What, you thought I was stupid? I've been doing this since before you were born, little whore."
"Open fire!" Marcus screamed.
Gunfire erupted.
Muzzle flashes lit the warehouse like lightning. The sound was deafening. Overwhelming.
Dante's mercenaries had already taken cover. They returned fire with precision.
Windows shattered. Bullets punched through metal. Concrete exploded in dust clouds.
"Fall back! FALL BACK!" Marcus's voice was drowned in the chaos.
Cedric dove from the chair. Hit the ground. Crawled behind a stack of crates.
His chest screamed. Stitches tearing. Blood warm and wet under the Kevlar.
"Cedric!" Marco's voice in his ear. "Stay down! We're coming to you!"
"Don't!" Cedric gasped. "It's a kill box! He planned for this!"
Smoke filled the warehouse. Thick and choking.
Cedric couldn't see three feet ahead.
A hand grabbed his collar.
Yanked him up.
Spun him around.
Dante.
Smiling. Gun pressed against Cedric's temple.
"Hello, brother's whore. We meet again."
His breath smelled like whiskey and violence.
"Let me go," Cedric managed.
"Oh, I will. Eventually." Dante dragged him backward. Toward the center of the warehouse. "But first, we're going to have a family reunion."
He raised his voice. Shouting over the gunfire.
"GIANNI! I know you're here! Show yourself or I paint the walls with his brain!"
The gunfire slowed.
Stopped.
Silence except for ringing ears and distant sirens.
Smoke drifted. Cleared slowly.
A figure stepped out from behind the eastern offices.
Hands raised. Gun on the ground.
Gianni.
His face was a mask. Empty. But his eyes blazed.
"Let him go, Dante. This is between us."
"Finally! Some honesty!" Dante's laugh was manic. Wild. "Six years you've been soft, brother. Six years hiding behind this pretty little toy. Building an empire just to impress someone who sells his ass for money."
He pressed the gun harder against Cedric's temple.
Cedric winced. His vision blurred.
"You know what I realized, brother?" Dante's voice dropped. Intimate. "Killing him is too easy. Too quick. I want you to watch him suffer first. Watch him realize that loving you was the worst decision he ever made."
"Dante, please..." Gianni took a step forward.
"Stay there!" Dante cocked the gun. "One more step and I do it now."
Gianni froze.
Cedric could see his face across the warehouse. Could see the desperation. The fear. The love that had destroyed everything.
"Say goodbye, Gianni." Dante's finger tightened on the trigger.
Cedric's eyes met Gianni's.
Everything slowed down.
He thought of his father. Of Lily. Of every choice that had led him here.
And he thought: I'm done being the victim.
He mouthed two words.
"Trust me."
Then he went limp.
Dead weight.
Dropping straight down…